Flush valve



` Aug. 20, 1946. l. H. Rus-SELL ETAL FLUSH VALVE Filed May 1o, `1945 'lhi's invention relates Y .and'has'for itsobject to-.p'ro'vide a new and 'im'- f A'further 'object is to designa simplied claims hereto appended.

The accompanying drawing illustrates a form Patented Aug. 20g 1946 A'FLUSH VALVE Irving- H; Russe11,-loak Park, and Frederick c.

'Bnn'allg- River'--Forest, Ill.; assignors tov Sloan 'y ValverCompa'ny, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of` A Illinois Y in general to flush" valves proved'ltype lof flush valve,' particularly for use "1in controlling the flow of water in waterclosets.

fItis 'af primary objectof the invention topr'ovide a 4ilush valvewhich is relatively inex'pensiveandleconomical to manufacture, and which readily accessible for inspection or replacement 'of-'partsL Y *I "L "A kfurther object of the invention is toy design 'a' iiush valve which comprises 'relativelyfew and simpleparts;y facilitating' ease of assembly,and `which parts are made of "materials precluding destructive corrosive 'action on the operating ele- .iments' normally'indirect contact `with the water owing through the valve.

onepiece piston body for a flush valve together with an improved by-pass and auxiliary valve therefor to'provide improved operationof the flush valve.

fAnother object is` to design av ush valve.4 and 'a' non-metallic lining therefor, whereby improved :accuracy andmore reliable operation of the 'pis- Vton 'over long yperiods of' time arev attained.

i, A further objectis to provide improved sealing and iholding' means'for a;y member lining'the inrsidewall surface'of a-flush valve. i :1; With the above and other objects in View which `will appear Vas; the naturelV of the invention is -better funderstood, the. same tconsists in theimproved ,construction and novel 'arrangements of ythe-parts of the -ilush valve, as will now be fully -described-:and particularlypointedA out in the :of the invention in which:` i

' Fig. l is a vertical sectionalview through a preferred; form of the device' embodying the invention; g

-Fig. 2 is a perspective view on-'a reducedscale iof the tubular liner for the'valve chamber;

. '.Fig 3'is a plan View of `the pistonassembly of theflushvalvey. n Y f Fig.v 4 is a view on an enlarged scale of' aifragment-,ary portion yof thel valve assembly; *and Fig. 5 is a similar view showing a modified construction. v l As illustrated, the device comprises a cylindricalmetal body portion `or `casing designated by the referenceA characterA I which is provided with y-a threaded water-inlet opening 2 at one side lthereof and anoutlet or dischargeopening at the bottom endto which the tailpiece A4 .is cou'- pledby means'of--the slip joint andcoupling nut 5,- asishwne; Anotherbpening isarranged in *wffArvlliciiofi Maw,posean-4862801 L' zciaims. (01.'137-93yl4r y fl the lower body side for ther-aoco odationof'the operatinghandle 'I and its: associated elements, while the top vportion of the body is. closed bythe .metal cover 8 externally threaded thereon. "M

f the 'flow of water through' the vchamber "f9"by moving away from" and uponV the rubber'` valve seat II in turn arranged upon` a'shoulder' "I2f"at the bottom end of thelchamber 9;" Th'piston 'I0' is' provided at "itslower end with'a cylindrical restricted portion or refillhead`|3formd-i1itgral therewith which isv of such sizandshapes'to provide a, rell supply of water Yfor'the water closet. Asomewhat smaller restricted'portin I3a, formed integrali with the refill lieadgs'iairranged immediatelybelow the hea'dI3 and serves to control the rate'of now througnthe'iliish valve. V` I f At its upper end, the 'piston lI IlV is provided 'with the usual rubber piston packing member I4 which divides the chamberV 9 into an upper' and lower portion. The packing member I4 is clamped directly to the end of vthe'piston IIJby'the -anged portion ofthe cap I5, the shankof' which'is threaded 'intothe inside wall Vsurface ofthe lpiston. An`auxi1iary valve member I6 *having-a small diameter lower Vstern portion and alar'ger head portion I'I on theother end is` arranged lto project through the axial opening'in the bottom end of' the piston" I0, and is providediwithZ a tapered shank portion havingthe' larger lend mergingfintegr'al with'the head i II't`o` provider'reinforcernent. The" underside of the head II'Tfis provided with a sharp abutmentas shown' which vis adapted to forni good sealingengagement with the rubber valve seat I8 resting cna shoulder inside the hollow piston I0;

The rubber valve 'seat I8 hasi'a metalrin'gIB vulcanized to it which serves'to maintain the auxiliary'walvemember properly centered upon the valve seat and also assists in guiding it'into position. The upper surface of the auxiliary head I'I is recessed to retain one end of the coil spring 20, which normally urges the auxiliary valve `I6 'against the rubber valve seat I8 and'assis'ts in restoring it to the seat. VThe other' end of the spring 20 is expanded over the lower end of a pro'- jection or abutment 2IV which is formed at the junction point of a number of cross members '22 also formed integral with the 'cap I5 and which serve as reinforcement members for the samegfnt onefpoint of the side wall of the piston I 0`- a` small by-pass. opening Z 3 Vis provided` to permit =wt``r chamber of the valve.

and there is less likelihood of the'by-pass becoming eleggedffj4 ig'..3 showthebypas`s 23 located at-the mid-point ,of the-slot' 24v/here' v4the wall of the piston is reduced tothe minimum` thickness.V With this arrangement the recessed? rode and is not 'subject to chemical action by the vided. At the lower end, the lining 26 has an `.body Wall I, as shown in Fig. l, and thereby pres10t724 'serves to protect and shield the by-.pass 'vents axial rotation of the lining 26 to insure that rtheyslot 21 remainsv in alignment with the inlet drilled hole through the thinsiwall satisfactorilyv opening 23 to a certain extent and no additional' parts are required to form thebyepass..thesimple serving for the purpose. Around fthe lower outer` diameter of the piston I0 there is arranged anv annular guiding ledge 25 formedintegral with'the` piston body and which serves to guide the piston.` l in its `up and down movement in the char-uberv 9. i I

It has been customary to construct the piston .body Ill voffbrajss. or..otherz metal that Yrequired lthe accurate. machining off. the severalV elementsfcom- ,prisingpthe pistoni andY whichwere secured; to-

gethervbyqscrewing the f parts: onto onew another.

This increasedfmanufacturing cost of: 1the piston, aszwell `as reci'uired additional. time .consumed in ,assembling the Avarious elements.. 'The piston- I I) according to the present linventionisv .constructed oi a Singleipiece preferably ofi a: non-metallic sub- Vstancesuch as: any ofthe WellA known plastic -matelrials noW' commercially;available `upon 'the .mar- "ketl ,This plastic materialeither. thermo. setting ornithermo, plastic,` exhibits characteristics' which lare ideally suited :for .thezpurposeiof .making pisv tons..y Examples of suchm materials. suitable: for this.: purposezare. hutyrate, zpolystyrene, vinylite, .phenolic'resimetc `When formed of 'plastic .material, 3 the piston is Ycheaply :"Inade vinto a single ,unitary lpart, is light in weight and .has the-requisite strength toV withstand the water pressures.

encountered. The most-importantcharacteristic isi.i tsl non-.corrosive and'k ruste-proof qualitiesaas well as its tendency ,to remain free -fromthe usual .accumulation of A `sedimenti as encounteredv 'in metal. parts.y .These ,desirable characteristics; irrl surethat vth.e .partscontinually remain inf-'goodv .free operating -conditioni '.reducing: :maintenance ,andivrepair and securing reliable functioning'. underpall acl-verse .conditions to :which theushvalve be subjected. :In-addition tothe-pistonbody;` It), lthe' capv piecev I 5 andthe auxiliaryvalvemember I6Y are alsorformed of plastic. material and. ex.-

hibit similar characteristics.

-e By .the use of the term .plasticgin this specil .cation and theappended.claims',1it is notintendedA that .any -specicf type .of x:non-.rrxetallic material manner, its piston` packing IllmusthaveV a very smoothgwall surface for ity to..;s1-idefupon.. This wall. surface 'must be --free fromwanynmachine marks,nicl;s or scratches',v so that notfrictional resistance is :encountered -tovhamper ther-free .movement of the piston, Toy providezsuclfi av smooth sliding surfacefor the piston packinga special lining is arranged to cover .theinsidewall` surface of; the valve vbodyv I; This'liningmay take theform Vof a tubular; or, .cylindrical-member 26 which.; is i. made .off `plastic. material to; provide a 3 smoothf clean surfacethatrwill: notrrust and=zcor5 openingor notch 21 ell-tinto Yit. to? tf' over the 'inlet y opening 2-a`nd permit ingress Vofl `-the water to the valve. VA small projecting lug'28 on the upper edge of lining 26 fits into a small 'slotin the :opening 2 at alltimes.

m-Atxthelupper lend of the .valve body I, the liner 26 and the body have their edges sealed by means of..the rubber4 gasket 29, clamped tightly down over the vends bythe cover 8. To insure more effective-sealing, the edge of the liner 26 is beveled as shown at 30 and a similar bevel is formed .orrtheiinside edge of lthebody I.; :Thisfbeveling .enables thef rubber. gasketgrzf to.: be squeezed` orV forced; 'downv-over 1 the;v lbeveledisectigms;y as:v -indicatedat 3|`v ini Figs, 4'sand-5.; Thisgmethod =of sealing f effectivelyipreventsrffleakage:: of @water (which may. be11un-der afpressure r`upwards ton :100 lbs; per square 1 finch); v; fromf; -the inside of the ond important function of this sealing methodis that'itfalso prevents tleakage vofV water-` passing from ythe lower endof the liner and-body, via v.the adjoining' walls. thereof andinto. .the/,upper .cham- Vberorrftlre topside of thepistoniii. ::Should'such leakage. occur, the action of the' by-pass .23.'would be nulliedand'. the; valve@would ,'.fail` .tof-operatel l`its lower; end';.zthef.lining.;26; is:,forced.against a shoulder 0rv .ledge 32 =formed ini the: body.;.| tad..`

jacent ithe rubber fvalveffseat .l I. :This shoulder 32 is formed atiy arr angle. as.: more`.clearly=seen in rFig. d;Y and serves'ato :prevent inwardswarping vor;.`rcurling of ithe': linerv 26i at its lower-z ends-fBy rmly; holding-.the .,liner.- in position in.v th'eforegoing; s manner,V 'itv :cannot f become' dislodgedz-r yor shifted wheneverthe pistorrloperates or the auxiliary valve I6 receives a thrust to-iinitiate .itheflush .valve operation. Y

A plunger 33 slidablyi arranged'` throughnthe paclingnutv 3A' and/.theebushinga 35 isadapted to vengage the lowerfaendA of the auxiliaryevalve? I6 to trip the same. This plunger 33 is actuated-by .the operating .handle 11' andthe: complete". assembly is-'held'inlpostionon the body I-lbythe socket 31 threaded i onto .the opening 6' 1' in :sth'e .-;body. Spring 31 supplies the restoringvforceafor the plunger i3 3, and" the.: handlel '1 The handle 1, plunger 1 3 3,1 packing nutfv 34, Aand'v .bush-ing" l3 5a 'are eachmade of 'ai plastic material .inI order Ato 1insure continuous free and smoothV operationof .the Apartszandfralso:f tor'prevent lcorrosion-:arid fac- -curnulai'fio'n-Y of `"foreign,deposits; upon the parts. IIn .o-rder.; to flimitxthestroke of-lthef-piston and ftherebyi control: the volume of fwater: passed?v by each1 operation' of .the flush! valve, adjustable bumpertpin 38 is threadect.through the-coverf 8 `'and :is adapted to vbe engaged; by!y theabutmeritf 2 I .in theacap lliV formed-at #the'junctionmpoint-i of the cross-pieces 22. The bumper 38 also passes through the packing and nut 39, and the thread.- ed opening in the cover 8 is closed by the small cap screw 40. f

Referring to Fig. 4 it will be noted that the adjoining walls of the lining 26 andthe body I are both tapered as in Fig. 1, thereby providing a relatively close intimate t between them. This, however, is somewhat difficult to achieve due to the fact that the machining of the body cannot be made to a high degree of accuracy. An alternative arrangement is shown in the modication Fig. 5 in which the tubular lining 26 is tapered as before, but the body walls are provided at the lower end with a small oifset shoulder 26a. The body walls can consequently be machined straight or vertically and the liner 25 held rigidly in position. Instead of an inclined shoulder 32 as in Fig. 4, a projecting ridge 32a may serve to prevent warping of the lower edge of lining 25.

The use and operation of the flush valve disclosed and the advantages attained are as follows:

When the flush valve is in use, the parts are in the position as shown in Fig. 1, with the inlet water pressure exerting itself in the upper chamber 9 on top of the piston I0 after passing through the by-pass opening 23, thereby forcing the piston against valve seat Il and auxiliary Valve I6 against valve seat I8. 'I'o operate the Hush valve, the handle 'l is actuated causing the plunger 33 to engage the auxiliary valve stem IB thereby tripping the same off its seat. This permits'the water in chamber 9 on tcp of the piston to escape through the axial opening in the piston and into the discharge opening 3, thereby lowering the pressure inthe chamber 3. The pressure of the water from inlet 2 is now effective to act upon the piston and cause it to rise from its valve seat Il and permit the water to pass from the inlet 2 to the discharge outlet 3 and the tail piece 4. The upward movement of the piston is halted by the abutment k2l striking the bumper pin 38.

When the piston reaches the Vlimit of its upthe refill head i3 enters the axial opening deflow to the desired rate of flow through the valve.

It will be noted that all of the working parts of the valve and the elements they are associated with or come in contact with, Vare made of plastic material, thereby providing smooth clean surfaces which are immune to corrosion, rust, and the deposition of foreign matter. The parts thereby constantly coact in a positive manner insuring accurate and reliable operation of the iiush valve for the full period of` its use without repair or maintenance. vOther advantages accruing from the use ofthe plastic material are the long life of the relatively few parts when in constant contactv with water and their light weight when compared to metal; thereby. providing for better operation onlow water preseures.` Economies are also effected by the low costV lof the plastic rmaterial and the savings effected in shipping the light-weight valves. The most important advantage resides in the manufacturing costs and time saved in producing the various articles, most of which are in mass production by simple extrusion or molding processes.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination of a cylindrical lining member andV a ush valve body in which said lining member is inserted, said flush valve having an inlet opening therein, said lining member comprising a body portion subject to warping and having a slotted opening at one end thereof arranged for alignment with the inlet opening of the flush valve, and means at the other end of said lining member for maintaining said openings in alignment, said lining member having slightly tapered walls to facilitate insertion in said flush valve, and cooperating means on the iiush valve and lining member for preventing warping of one of the ends of said lining member.

2. In a flush valve comprising a metallic casing having a large opening at one endand a water inlet opening at the side thereof, a plastic cylindrical member serving as a lining for said casing and inserted from the large open end thereof, said cylindrical member and said` casing walls being slightly tapered to facilitate insertion of the cylindrical member in the casing and provide a close t `between` the walls thereof, said cylindrical member having a slotted opening arranged for alignment with the water inlet opening of the casing means for closing the large open end of said casing and one end of said cylindrical member to prevent inward warping of said cylindrical member, and means at theother end of said cylindrical member for preventing warping at that end, and cooperative means 'on the cylindrical member and casing for maintaining the slotted opening of the cylindrical member and the water inlet opening in the casing in alignment.

IRVING H. RUSSELL.

FREDERICK C. BINNALL. 

